When the Nigerian Scam produces enough negative press, SOP for successive Nigerian Governments has been for the Central Bank of Nigeria to buy ads in the Wall Street Journal etc. saying that neither they nor the Nigerian Government has anything to do with the Scam and that they, in fact, are doing everything they can to control it.

Since, in fact, the cooperation of both successive Nigerian Governments and the Central Bank of Nigeria have been absolutely essential to the continuation of large-scale Scam operations over the years, these ads represent nothing more than a cynical public relations ploy to get the heat off while the Scam continues unabated.

Likewise, the Nigerian Government's purchase of advertising time on 60 Minutes 5 NOV 95, a program which has been ( with some help from 419 Coalition associates and others ) critical of the regime, trumpeting that "Nigeria is a member of the world community" etc. was nothing more than a cynical public relations move to relieve both the pressure brought on the Nigerian Government due to continued Scam operations and to deflect the coming criticism it would receive for the hanging of several dissidents, including a Nobel prize nominee author.

You need to know that the Nigerian Governments' ploy of using paid advertising in the international media to escape criticism for its misdeeds is an established pattern - a perfect example of what Goebbels used to call the "Big Lie" technique - used repeatedly and quite successfully over the years.